Undercover Show
by AyoChideBruv
Summary: When her ballet comes to Washington, DC for the holidays, after her parents start investigating a naval officer who assaulted her little brother and his friend, Tali is asked to do something she never thought she would have to do in a million years. Things take a turn, and Tony and Ziva must act fast to ensure the safety of their first born and her fiancé.
1. Love & Fights

**_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own NCIS Or Any Of Its Characters!_**

 ** _Plot To This Story Is ALL Mine Though!_**

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 **A|N: This story is the 'sequel' to my story "Not Easily Broken". Although I don't think its entirely necessary to read that one first, I do recommend it as mentions to some things that happened in that story come up in this one.**

 **Hopefully you all like it! Without further a-due, ENJOY** **!**

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 **"Undercover Show"**

 **Chapter I - Love & Fights**

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"Hey babe!" Tony entered his bedroom after a long day and an even longer night. All he wanted was to lay in his bed, hold his wife and sleep. Thankfully it was Friday and, barring some major catastrophe at NCIS, he would be able to do that for the next two days.

"Hello my love", Ziva spoke softly with a smile as she put down the book she had been reading. "How was dinner with the big wigs?"

The cause of his longer night was a mandatory dinner with all the directors of Washington, DC's alphabet soup— FBI, CIA, NSA, ATF ... and the SecNav. He groaned as he took off his suit, "Have I mentioned lately that I really can't stand the new Director of Homeland?"

Ziva chuckled, "Yes, you have been mentioning it all week."

"Yeah, well, if I never have to see or hear from that woman for the rest of my life I'll be just fine." He threw his clothes on a chair in the corner of the room then fell face first onto the bed. "Seriously", his voice came out muffled as he spoke into the pillow, "she tries _way_ too hard. I think she's looking for a husband and is trying to find one amongst the heads of all the agencies. You should've seen how she flirted with Director Troy from FBI."

"As long as she keeps her sights off _my_ husband, we will not have a problem", Ziva partly joked as she climbed on his back and started to massage his shoulders.

"Mmmm, that feels so good." Tony turned his head to peak up at her, "Trust me, even if she does have her sights on me, my sights are totally on the gorgeous woman in the red negligee working her magic on me right now."

Ziva giggled then leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "And your sights better stay right here ... by the way, Anthony is staying at Tyler's house tonight."

"Mrs. DiNozzo, are you hinting that you'd like to turn this G-rated moment into something more R-rated?"

"Oh, I am not hinting anything. There is a reason I wore this negligee and waited up for you." She rolled off his back and stood up from the bed. Moving towards the en-suite bathroom, Ziva allowed the negligee to fall to the floor as she stopped just outside the door. Showing off all her glory, she smirked at the lustful gaze Tony was giving her. "Are you coming to join me in the shower, Mr. DiNozzo?"

No words were needed as Tony simply nodded his head and nearly sprinted the distance across the room, swiftly pulling his boxers off in the process. His need for sleep forgotten as he lifted his wife and kissed her with a fiery passion, then carried her the rest of the way into the bathroom.

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 **.**

* * *

"That's odd", Tali spoke absently as she put her phone back on the nightstand and nestled into her fiancé's arms once more.

"What's odd baby", Hunter asked groggily, not wanting to actually be up so early on a Saturday morning.

"I told Ima that I'd call her as soon as we woke up, but she's not answering the phone."

"Baby, it's almost 1AM in DC right now, don't you think she might be sleep", he reasoned. "Like we should be at the moment."

Tali chuckled, "Since when do you want to sleep past 0630?"

"Since the last two weeks have been nonstop work with getting things in place for the new office to open. The only reason I'm up is because I forgot to turn the alarm off last night. I completely made plans to sleep-in with the soon to be Mrs. Amadi today. When's the last time we got to do this since we've moved to Paris?"

"It _has_ been a while", she sighed, "But it will have to wait until tomorrow. I have an early rehearsal."

"How early is early?"

"I need to be at the theater in an hour. So, I must get in the shower now and get ready."

Hunter's eyes opened completely to look into Tali's eyes. He smirked and raised his brow, "May I join you?"

Tali laughed and playfully slapped his chest. "No you may not! No sex until _after_ the wedding, remember?"

"But the wedding isn't until July of next year. That's 8 months away. I can't wait that long." He pulled her closer and started trailing kisses down her neck. "I want you know ... can't you tell?"

"Mmmhmmm, I can definitely tell." She used all her energy to pull away and not give in to temptation. Sitting up, Tali pulled back the covers and looked down to see the tent that had risen in Hunter's boxers. She shook her head and looked back up in his eyes. "Down boy", she whispered after placing a quick peck on his lips and getting out of bed.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with this, Tals", he asked in frustration as he watched her go into their walk-in closet.

"The same thing you always do", Tali responded from inside. She fought hard not to laugh at his predicament but she couldn't help it after hearing him groan and mumble about life not being fair. After taking a moment to compose herself, Tali walked out of the closet with her chosen dance clothes of the day and looked at Hunter with a serious face. "You've been patient for over 4 years now, 8 more months will not kill you."

"But it _is_ killing me. You have no idea how badly I want you. It was easier when you were in college in New York and I was always working a case or on a mission all over the world. But now, we live together and sleep in the same bed every night. Seriously baby, this isn't easy."

Tali rolled her eyes, "You promised you would wait until I am ready. After everything that happened when we ..."

"I know", he interrupted before she even brought up the topic of how they first met. "I'm sorry, okay? Forget I said anything." Hunter stood up and walked out the bedroom.

"Hey, where are going", Tali called after him, still standing in the sane spot she had been.

"To the guest room to do what I always do", he yelled back.

After a few seconds, she heard the guest room door slam. Tali shook her head and proceeded to lay out her clothes before heading to the bathroom. Part of her felt bad that she wasn't 'performing' in ways that other women did in their relationships, but her reasoning for wanting to abstain from sex until marriage was something she and Hunter had an understanding about. Sure, she trusted him with her body completely and she knew he had experience with women, but in her heart of hearts she was technically still a virgin. Atleast technical by her definition since she hadn't actually chosen to give herself to anyone before.

Truth be told, even if she hadn't been violated years ago, it had still always been her desire to wait until marriage. Still, she knew her fiancé was tired of 'servicing himself' as he often put it. Maybe the time was coming for her to just give in and allow him to have what he wanted. Actually, what they _both_ wanted. Despite her fear of having flashbacks to a darker time, Tali was sure that when the time came for them to cross that line that Hunter would be gentle and take great care in satisfying her. She promised herself she'd give it some thought over the next few days. For now, she had to prepare for the day ahead. It wasn't the time to dwell on her feelings of fear and inadequacy. There were other things to worry about— ' _Like getting this new choreography down for the show next month._

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 **.**

* * *

After an all night love making session, Tony was still in the bedroom knocked out sleep at noon. Ziva, on the other hand, was wide awake and checking her work emails on her laptop in the living room. To her surprise, she heard the locks on the front door turn and saw the youngest DiNozzo child walked in the house looking less than thrilled.

"Anthony, what are you doing home? I thought you were staying at Tyler's until tonight", she spoke as he plopped down on the couch beside her. "And what the hell happened to your face?!"

The 16 year old huffed in aggravation then gave her a look that Ziva couldn't quite read. "I _was_ supposed to stay over there", Anthony started to explain, "But Ty's stepdad was totally plastered this morning when we go up and started wailing on Ty for no reason. I tried to pull the bastard off him and that's when her started aiming his punches at me." He paused when he noticed the look in his mother's eyes and grabbed her hand for reassurance, "I swear I'm fine. You don't need to go nuclear on anyone. I got a few good jabs in and knocked him out cold. The cops have him now. I'm just worried about Ty. He totally bugged out on me when I pressed him about how long he's been getting abused. Eventually he told me to ef' off and said I needed to mind my own business, so I got my backpack then I left and walked home. Now we're here."

"You _walked_ home after having a fist fight with a navy officer? From here to Tyler's house is a 45 minute walk. Not to mention you had a fight with a grown man and you have no idea what kind of injuries you may have sustained. Sweetheart, why did you not call me or your father?"

"I needed the walk to try and clear my head. Apart from bruise on my face, I'm totally fine. The jerk barely landed his punches since he was so drunk. Plus, I didn't want to bother you guys."

Ziva shook her head, "Anthony, something like this is not a bother. It is a very serious matter. You should have called us the moment Tyler's stepfather started to ..."

"Babe, did you get a case or something, because Eric Dobson from Metro called me 3 times and ..." Tony paused when he entered the living room and noticed his namesake sitting on the couch with a bruised jaw. "III, what happened?"

"Officer Dobson was probably calling you because I had to do a police report with him this morning. Technically, he wasn't allowed to take my statement without my parents present, but since he knows you're my dad he did it anyway and said he'd get in touch with you to sign some form."

Tony looked at him confused, "Wait, back up, police report for what? How'd you get that bruise?"

"Ty's stepdad", the teen sighed. "He was beating up Ty this morning for no reason and I went to stop him. Jack started fighting me in the process, hence the bruise. But I swear I'm okay! Seriously, neither one of you need to go all government agent and have the guy 'neutralized', or whatever you call it. He's just a lowlife drunk."

"Yeah well, that lowlife drunk is going to pay for touching my kid", Tony's voice was low and threatening as he dialed back the number for his friend at Metro PD. Both Ziva and Anthony watched as he immediately started barking out orders.

"Eric, it's DiNozzo — Yeah my son told me what happened, look I want that son of bitch charged and I want him brought to NCIS — I know what protocol is, but I also know where the loopholes are too. He's still a naval officer who assaulted his stepson and the child of a federal agent, so technically he could be my jurisdiction too! — I don't give a damn about conflict of interest! One of my teams will press that bastard and make sure he gets more than just a few hours of sleep, a slap on the wrist, and then sent home to do this shit all over again! — When he sobers up, you have him transferred to my people. Am I clear? — Good, you call me when you're ready to transfer him, and bring whatever paperwork you need signed. We're dealing with this _my_ way."

As soon as he hung up, Anthony was standing in front of his father, "Abba, really, you didn't need to do that. Metro will handle it."

"Yes I did. Look III, I'm clear on how cases like this work. Guys like Tyler's stepdad always slip through the cracks and manage to get out of county jail without serving any real time at all. Ninety-five percent of the time, they end up doing the same thing all over again when they are released. I'm not just looking out for you right now, but for Tyler and his mom too. I want to make sure that this guy doesn't get the opportunity to pull a stunt like this again, alright?"

Anthony nodded, "Okay. But, Ty's really pissed at me for getting involved and calling the cops. I think this has been happening for a while now, since his mom married the dude. Do you think he'll stop being my friend now that you're going to lock his stepdad up for a long time?"

"If Tyler really values your friendship", Ziva chimed in, "Then he will see that this route your father has chosen to take is the best for all involved."

"Exactly", Tony agreed. "Right now, Tyler is probably just embarrassed that the truth is out. He'll come around. I can guarantee that." He raised Anthony's chin to get a better look at the bruise on his jawline. "We better get some ice that. How bad does it hurt?"

"It's not all that bad now. I'm just glad it's on the left side", he partially joked trying to lighten the tension in the room. Both parent's raised an eyebrow in question causing Anthony to chuckle, "You forgot I have to take yearbook pictures on Monday? They shoot the right profile, not the left. So I'll still be a dashing looking DiNozzo in my photo."

Ziva shook her head and laughed while Tony smirked. "Such a DiNozzo", Tony said as he led his son to the kitchen, "You know our right side is our best side anyway. Always has been. Something about that DiNozzo smile on that side profile gives us that powerful debonair look. You know, that look is how I got your ima to fall in love with me."

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 **.**

* * *

Already evening in Paris, Tali entered her apartment and threw her keys on the side table by the door as she let out a long exasperated sigh. Tired wasn't the word to describe how she felt. Exhausted was close but still not adequate enough. No, she was beyond that. Her legs hurt. Her brain was on overload. And her heart felt ... torn.

All day she had thought about her conversation with Hunter about waiting until their wedding night to have sex. To make matters worse, all day she had been having flashbacks to the cell that was rightly named 'Hell' where her innocence had been stolen 4 years ago. Needless to say, Tali wasn't in a good mood. So when her fiancé bombarded her with questions as soon as she walked into the kitchen, she partly lost it.

"All I'm saying is that you should've called me, Tali! I was worried about you!"

"The last time I checked, I'm a grown woman! I don't need to check in with you all day. You _knew_ I had rehearsal today, so what's the problem?!"

"The problem is that you said you'd meet me by 2 o'clock. That was 5 hours ago. I thought something happened to you. Had I not traced your cell then went to the park and saw that you were ..."

"YOU WHAT?!" Tali was fuming now. "You traced my cell _and_ then stalked me!? Like I'm one of your marks that you need to track down?!"

Hunter sighed and took a step back. He tried hard to keep his voice at a low and even tone so Tali would stop yelling. After a moment he started to say, "Listen, I only did it because I was ..."

"Worried", she interrupted again. "Yeah, I know. You've said that about 15 times now. I can't believe you couldn't trust me."

"It's not about trust, Tali. It's about you communicating with me that you're going to be late or that you just need time to think after a long day. I can respect and accept that. What I can't accept is not knowing where you are and not hearing from you after you stood me up today. I was scared out of mind! For 3 hours I waited, but I couldn't take not knowing anymore. And it's not like you were returning my calls or texts. I did what any man would do when his fiancé has suddenly gone MIA. And given the circumstances of how we met, you can imagine where my mind went."

Tali looked at him incredulously, "So now I'm too weak to defend myself and am prone to getting kidnapped again?"

"Forget it", Hunter threw his hands in the air in surrender and let out a gruff yell. "That's _not_ what I meant and you know it! I don't know what's up with you today but when you're ready to talk about it I'll be at my office."

He turned to leave but stopped mid-stride as Tali yelled, "Fine! Leave me again, like you always do! Walk away when I need you! That's what you did back then! You just left me with _him_ to die while you got away! I needed you and you ran the moment he looked the other way! I get it ..." She started to cry hysterically, "I know I'm damaged goods ... I know you're only with me because you feel guilty ... I get it."

"Tali", he spoke her name in a breathless whisper as he turned back around to face her. The pain and confusion in his eyes spoke volumes. "Is that what you think of me? That I am only with you because I feel some sort of guilt?" He shook his head as he closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms. "Baby, I am with you because I am completely and utterly in love with you. To me, there's _nothing_ damaged about you. And I sincerely apologize if I ever made you feel otherwise. Tals, you're my world. I'd be lost without you. That's why I was so scared today, because you've never done anything like that before. And I swear before Allah that I will _never_ walk away again." Kissing her forehead gently, he pulled back slightly to look in her eyes, "Please, forgive me."

There was a small smile on Tali's face, even as the tears kept rolling down her rosy cheeks. "I'm sorry too", she said in a whisper. "It was just a really bad day and ... I ... I've been having flashbacks again", she spoke honestly.

"I'm so sorry. I promise you're safe now. There's no need to worry. Just like before, we will get through it together." Little did either of them know that soon that statement would come to be tested. Could they really get through it together? Only time would tell. Things were about to change. Their lives would be at stake again. For somewhere, half way across the globe, there was a group in DC preparing to set something in motion that would put their love to the ultimate test and turn their world's upside down all over again. A fight was coming ... and it was coming soon.

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 **Well, tell me what you think. A little TIVA fluff in the beginning because ... well DUH ... it's TIVA!**

 **But seriosuly, tell me your thoughts. Really, I'd like to know.**

 **What I have for chapter two dives straight into the plot.**

 **I promise this won't be too much of a slow burn like my other stories. Lol!**

 **Reviews and PMs will determine whether or not I post the next chapter, so do your thing!**

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 **Later!**

 **\- Chide**


	2. Charges & Images

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* * *

 **"Undercover Show"**

 **Chapter II - Charges & Images **

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Tali was curled up on the couch with Hunter when she heard the annoying ringtone that her brother had chosen to play for when he called. She groaned while Hunter chuckled and paused the movie they had just started watching. Not really wanting to move from her comfortable spot, she slowly got up to retrieve her phone from where she had left it on the kitchen counter. By the time she had the phone in her hand she had missed the call, but then, a second later, it was ringing again.

"III, this better be important, I was in the middle of relaxing and watching my favorite movie with my fiancé", she said into the phone as she answered.

 _"Well hello to you too big sis"_ , Anthony spoke sarcastically. " _Sorry for interrupting. Tell Spy Boy I said hey, and this is major importante!"_

Tali sighed, "What did you do now and what do you want me to say to ima and abba to get you out of trouble?"

 _"I got in a fight, but I'm not in trouble. I just need advice."_

"How is it that you got in a fight but you're not in trouble", she asked, not believing him. Although Anthony was generally a good kid, he still had his moments like any other teenage boy. And like any other big sister, Tali was always the one to get him out of trouble. Ever since he was born she had been his 'protector', even if that meant protecting him from her parent's wrath.

 _"Seriously, I'm not in trouble. My fighting was justified."_

"Mmhmm, sure. So what happened?"

Knowing her brother, Tali could practically hear Anthony shrug through the phone and he answered, " _Long story."_

"Okay, then give me the cliff notes."

 _"Ugh. Do I have to? I've already told it like 5 times already"_ , he whined.

"III, if you want my advice, I'm going to need to know the details of the sitch."

 _"Alright, alright. Fine. So Ty's stepdad has been abusing him and I fought him to help Ty when he was beating him up this morning. The end"_ , Anthony explained in one breath. " _Now, I need advice because the parental unit just left to go to the Navy Yard and interrogate Ty's stepdad. Ty text me a few minutes ago saying his mom went to bail the asshole out of county but found out that he was transferred to NCIS and wouldn't be able to post bail. Ty's really pissed at me and says that I'm the reason his family is falling apart now. I need to know what to say. I don't want to lose my best friend over this, but I don't want Ty to justify being beaten everyday by a total drunken bastard either. Which is what he's now doing. Saying that Jack sometimes disciplines him and his mom and that it's because they deserve it, but I know that's not true. Ty did nothing this morning to deserve getting beat up. I mean, the guy almost snapped his neck! He's a total spaz!"_

"Wow, that's not what I was expecting to hear." Tali rubbed her forehead as she tried to quickly processed the information. "Alright, my best advice is that you need to give Ty time. You shouldn't text back just yet."

 _"But won't me not responding make it worse?"_

"It could, but you responding through a text while Ty is pissed off could get misinterpretated and make things worse too. I say give him time to cool off. It needs to sink in first that his stepdad is his enemy and not you. He just needs someone to blame for his pain right now. I've done it before ... more than I'd actually like to admit. It's usually easier to blame those closest to you than it is to blame the person that's actually been causing the pain. He's tighter with you than he is with his family, so right now he thinks it's your fault. Especially if no one has ever been around to witness the abuse before and you're the first person to see first hand how Ty has been being treated at home. It's an embarrassment thing too."

 _"Abba said the same thing, about embarrassment",_ Anthony took a deep breath then continued, _"Guess I'll just give it time then. Thanks."_

"You're welcome, and are you sure you're alright? I mean, did you get hurt?"

 _"Just a bruise on my jaw. Nothing major. I'll send you a pic in a few. You can go back to your movie and Spy Boy now."_

Tali rolled her eyes, "I seriously need you and abba to stop calling him that. He's not a teenage boy anymore."

 _"Fine, Spy Man then",_ Anthony teased. _"Is that better?"_

"No, smartass", Tali laughed. "Bye III! Call me back later if you need anything else and let me know how everything goes whenever you find out."

 _"Will do. Later big sis! Love you!"_

"Love you too little bro!" Tali ended the call and walked back to the living room with a thought in mind. "Hey honey?"

Hunter looked up from the game he started playing on his phone while waiting for her return, "What's up baby? Everything okay with III?"

"Sort of", she said as she sat back down and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You have full access to the NCIS database now, right?"

"Uh, yeah. As of five days ago I do, why", Hunter asked skeptically.

Tali snuggled closer to him and started playing with the chain he had on, "I need a little favor."

"What kind of favor, Tals? Because, right now, it seems like you're about to ask me to do something that could get your father to fire me", Hunter chuckled. "I just got this promotion, I don't want to lose it."

"I promise you won't get fired. I'm just curious to see what a particular report says and what the charges are for the man who fought III today."

"Wait", he looked down at her just as she looked up at him. "III got into a fight and the guy was taken to NCIS? Was III hurt?"

"No, no he's fine. See?" Tali showed the picture that her brother had just text her. "It's just a bruise. And the guy is Navy so abba had him transferred to NCIS. I guess he wants to handle this personally."

"That's a conflict of interest, but I guess I'd do the same thing for our son if he ever got into a fight with a sailor or a marine."

Tali blushed slightly at his choice of words. "Not to get too off topic, but I love the way that sounds. _Our son._ You will be an amazing father sometime in the near future."

"As you will be an amazing mother", he responded and kissed her temple. "Now, back to the topic at hand. When was this guy brought in?"

"According to III, my parents just left to go do the interrogation, so I'm assuming within the hour."

"Then I suggest we finish our movie and then I'll pull up the case info. It wouldn't be posted until after the interrogation and NCIS officially charges him", Hunter reasoned.

"Okay", Tali shifted to lay her head on his lap and resume her position of ultimate comfort. "''Mamma Mia!' now and then snooping later."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

In Washington, DC, Ziva was in the observation room at NCIS looking at the man who had fought with Anthony earlier that day. The DiNozzo's knew him well. Atleast they thought they did. It had come as a surprise to find out the news of what took place, and a little bit concerning that neither she nor Tony had noticed it before.

Navy Officer Jackson Henry had been one of few people that the DiNozzo parents had trusted. They didn't let Anthony stay at every friend's house. Ziva could literally count on one hand which friends parents they had deemed 'safe and responsible' enough for their youngest child to be around. Now, she felt that she and Tony may need to re-evaluate that selection— ' _And definitely do background checks on all of them.'_

Ziva was pulled from her thoughts when McGee came in to join her. "Hey Zi, is that him?"

"Hey Tim", she nodded her affirmation then let out a sigh. "I have known that man for three years now and I never saw this coming."

"I read the report that Metro did. He's pretty good at hiding in plain sight. Most guys like him are." McGee placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a half hug, "Don't beat yourself up over it, Ziva. I know how your mind is working right now. Just look at the bright side."

"What exactly is the bright side", she inquired as she finally looked him in the eye.

"Although III has a bruised jaw, it's nothing compared to some other injuries he could of had. _And_ if my nephew had not been there, we wouldn't know what we know now. That there's a disgrace of a naval officer walking around who has been abusing his wife and stepson. God only knows how much worse Tyler could be if III wasn't there to intervene."

"I suppose you are right."

"Of course I am", he chuckled then got serious again. "Now, in the interest of making sure these charges hold and this bastard doesn't wiggle his way out of facing some serious time, I'm going to do the interrogation. I don't want the charges to be dropped because of a technicality on paper with you and Tony being III's parents."

Ziva smiled in appreciation, "Thank you, Tim ... for always looking out for us."

"We've _always_ had each other's backs. No need to thank me. I just want to close this quickly so we can go back to enjoying our weekend. I'll start as soon as Tony gets here."

Like clockwork, the door opened right in that moment to reveal Tony entering observation. "You ready McGee?"

"Yeah, just remember to keep calm and don't come storming in if you hear something you don't like", McGee spoke more to Tony than Ziva. He knew, by the phone call he received to come in on his day off, that his best friend— more like big brother, was ready to rip someone's head off. Namely, the man now sitting in interrogation. The last thing McGee wanted was for an abuser to get away with his crimes because Tony was being hotheaded. He looked at him expectantly and waited for Tony to confirm that he would stay in observation.

"I'm good", Tony huffed, "I'll stay in here. Now go."

That was enough for McGee. He nodded then exited to start his interrogation.

In the next moment, Tony and Ziva looked on as their long time friend and colleague entered the interrogation room. "Tim will make sure that Jackson talks, my love", Ziva said in a hushed but confident tone as she held his hand.

Tony gave a gentle squeeze, "I trust Tim. It's the other bastard I don't care for. He needs to pay. Not just for attacking III, but for causing hell and torment in that house. Can you imagine what Tyler must have been going through? And then to try to hide what's been happening to cover for that slimeball. To think, his mother knows what's going on and is just content with letting it happen. I just don't get it."

"Unfortunately, we know that these things are common. Just like it is common for a woman to stay in an abusive relationship because she is afraid. Monica probably feels covering for him is better than actually pressing charges or testifying against him. For the safety of herself and her son."

"I understand that, but then again I don't." Tony shook his head in disbelief, "She's been putting Tyler in danger for God knows how long now. Her kid could have been laying in autopsy right now if it hadn't been for III. We need to get her in here too, so we can find out her side of allowing that son of bitch to do the things he's done."

Ziva looked at him with confusion, "Are suggesting we arrest Monica Henry for negligence and interrogate her too?"

"No, I'm suggesting we just talk to her. We can consider negligence charges _after_ we hear what she has to say."

"Tony, she's a victim too", she tried to defend.

"Sure she is", Tony said sacastically as he rolled his eyes. "A victim who conveniently neglected to inform us that our son could be subjected to violence while staying at her house. What if III was seriously injured?"

"You are raising your voice and getting agitated. I need you to calm down, please", she sighed and turned to look him directly face to face. "I am not saying I disagree with you. However, the fact remains that she is _still_ a victim who was acting out of fear and embarrassment. I honestly believe that she probably thought her husband would behave properly around visitors as he has seemingly always done. We need to be objective about all of this. I know it involves Anthony now, but we have to treat this like any other case if we want to ensure that Jackson Henry gets a long sentence. We can charge him as it stands right now, but we will still need both Tyler and Monica to testify against him for everything to hold up. We cannot go on a warpath against the mother when we need her cooperation."

Tony said nothing. But his look spoke everything. They had two different thought patterns. In his mind, the mother was just as guilty as the step-father. Something about the situation just didn't sit right with him and he was determined to figure it out as he watched the interrogation.

* * *

"We can sit here all day not saying anything or you can answer a few simple questions. Between you and me, I'd rather just get this over with. So tell me, Officer Henry, do you understand what it is that brought you into the custody of NCIS", McGee asked for the 3rd time in the last few minutes that he had been inside the room.

"The offspring of your Director got his ass handed to him this mornin' so now y'all have a beef with me", Henry shrugged nonchalantly. "Not my fault the boy stepped to me lookin' for a fight."

McGee smirked, "From the looks of things, I have to say that you may have your story of this morning's events a little twisted."

"Oh yeah, how's that?"

"Well", McGee paused to stand and move out of the way of Henry's view of the mirror, "Take a look." When the Navy Officer did as told then grimaced, McGee continued, "You look like _you're_ the one who got his ass handed to him by a 16 year old. Not the other way around. So let's talk about why Anthony DiNozzo III felt the need to engage you this morning. What was happening before you started fighting with him?"

"I believe that's my business and no concern to NCIS." Henry rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

His whole demeanor was getting McGee annoyed, but he kept his cool. "Listen, either you can tell me what was going on or I can make something up and officially file these charges for endangerment, domestic violence, child abuse, and the assault of a minor. You're looking at 5 to 10 years for the child abuse and assault against a minor, easy. Another year for the endangerment charge. Then a minimum of a year to a maximum of 5 years for the DV charge. And let's not forget to add in the factor that the minor you attacked is the child of a director of a government agency and a government agent, that will easily lengthen your stay. Altogether, the least amount of time you'll spend in prison is about 10 years. Don't forget about all the fines you'll have to pay as well. Plus, you'll be _dishonorably_ discharged from the Navy and ..."

"You're trumping up those charges", Henry interrupted in anger. His sudden yelling and shift in demeanor causing McGee to raise his brow in surprise. "I ain't never been no woman beater or child abuser! That fuckin' kid came to my house and got his ass beat because he was tryna steal from me and my boy dammit!"

McGee uncharacteristically started laughing and shook his head. "Hold on, hold on", he tried to compose himself but the mere thought of the lies that were being spewed from Henry's mouth really were funny to him. "You mean to tell me that you tried to fight Anthony because he was stealing from your home? You really expect me to believe that? On top of the fact that you also have a criminal record, prior to when you enlisted, where you were charged with domestic abuse?"

"Believe what ya want! So what about those old charges?! You ain't got nothin' new on me", Henry challenged adamantly.

"Okay, let's just go along with your story for a moment. What reason would Anthony have to steal from you? I'm just curious, because the DiNozzo's are _not_ lacking in the financial department."

He shrugged, "Shit, back in 2001 that Winona lady stole and she was a damn movie star. Just cause his mama and daddy got money don't mean a thing. Your guess is as good as mines why he wanted to steal from me. The kid's got serious psyche issues, and, since you ain't got no evidence that it wasn't a fight to defend my house, I'd say this is his word against mines and I can leave."

Just as Henry stood, McGee roughly pushed him back down onto the chair and leaned into him. With his face just inches away, he spoke through gritted teeth, "You're not going anywhere except to prison." He stood back up straight and put a little distance between them. After clearing throat, he continued, "I have enough to charge you. Even with your false side of the story. Between the bruise on Anthony's face, the strangulation marks around Tyler's neck and bruises on his body, and the knowledge that your record gives us insight about your propensity for abuse, there's really no need for us to continue. I tried to give you a chance, but all you want to do is waste my time. It's fine though. Have it your way. We're done here."

"Hey", Henry looked confused, "Ya can't just leave! What about if I wanna press charges on the kid for what he done to me? I got bruises too! I was assaulted man! It was self defense."

McGee chuckled as he shook his head, "You are _really_ laying it on thick. I'd advise you to get a lawyer and talk your story over with legal counsel. Spoiler alert: they're going to tell you that you've got no case against Anthony and that you're going to be locked up for a very _very_ long time. Enjoy your court martial." With nothing left to say, and not wanted to here another word, McGee exited the interrogation room swiftly.

* * *

"Well that was annoying", McGee said as he met Tony and Ziva in the hallway. "I really thought I'd get him to talk and let on about the abuse. Sorry guys."

"Don't worry about it Probie", Tony assured him, "We have enough now and I know what we need next." Ziva looked at him quizzically, as did McGee. "Bring in Monica Henry on negligence charges and ..."

"Wait,I thought you said we would talk to her first and then consider charges", Ziva interrupted. "Now you have chosen to immediately charge her without knowing her story? She could completely shutdown if you bring her in here already charged, is that what you want?"

"I want _answers_ , Ziva! And so should you", he snapped. "A teenage boy's life hangs in the balance if we don't find out why his mother keeps allowing worthless scum around to hurt him." He pointed to the closed door of the interrogation room in anger, "If that asshole doesn't want to talk, then his wife is going to! Am I the _only_ person around here who sees the bigger picture?!"

"Tony", McGee started to try to calm him down and reason with him, "We all want answers, but maybe we should ..."

"I didn't ask for suggestions, McGee! I gave you an order to bring in Monica Henry on the charge of negligence, so get her in here. NOW!"

* * *

 **.**

* * *

The key mark of a long and emotional day, Tali had fallen asleep shortly before her favorite movie ended. Hunter carried her to their room and laid her in the bed. After using much skill to strip her down to her boy shorts and camisole without waking her, he covered her with the blanket and went to the kitchen. Sitting in front of his laptop at the center island, Hunter opened the NCIS database to check for the report that Tali had brought up earlier. For some reason, it intrigued him that she would even make such a request and he genuinely wanted to see what had caused his soon to be brother-in-law to fight with a Naval officer.

' _Should've thought to ask the guy's name.'_

With limited information on the incident, he took a little while to narrow down the list of reports that came up. Eventually he found the report that fit the brief scenario that Tali had given him earlier. He read the preliminary report first and was suprised to see that it was labeled both as an assault and a child abuse case. Tali hadn't mentioned the child abuse part to him. Hunter was growing even more intrigued as he read, and decided to look deeper. As soon as he opened the full digital file something felt familiar. Or rather, someone _looked_ familiar.

 _'Dont I know this guy?'_

There was something about the mugshot of Jackson Henry that made Hunter feel extremely uneasy. Like there was something horrible hidden behind his cold dead eyes. Something that Hunter couldn't place, but he knew he'd seen it before. It started instantly nagging him to no end.

 _'Where have I seen him before? He's not just in the Navy. I know he's not.'_

After airdropping a copy of the report to his phone, he erased the search from his browser and went back to his bedroom. He looked at Tali sleeping peacefully and hoped he could do the same as he laid down. Sleep seemed like it would be a major challenge now that a familiar disgusting feeling was settling deep within him. Hunter looked at the mugshot one more time then placed his phone on the nightstand. When he rolled over and closed his eyes, crude images flashed in his head of the war that nearly destroyed his homeland of South Africa a few years ago and of the man he now knew as Naval Officer Jackson Henry. In every mental image, Henry was right there in the midst of the carnage but _not_ as an American military officer.

 _'HE'S TSOTSI!'_

Hunter sat up panting as his inner thoughts yelled at him. Suddenly he knew the connection the images made. The man was more than just an abuser. He was worse, far worse. For the first time in a long time, a suspect had put fear in Hunter's heart. The worst part was, it wasn't even his case or his suspect to worry about ... at least, not for now.

* * *

 **So, the mystery, angst, and drama begins. Lol!**

 **Thanks for the positive feedback thus far.**

 **Hope you peeps enjoyed this chapter!**

 **.**

 **Later!**

 **\- Chide**


	3. Truth & Trust

**.**

* * *

 **"Undercover Show"**

 **Chapter III - Truth & Trust**

* * *

By the time the sun had gone down in DC, the roles between husband and wife had been reversed. While Tony had felt good and satisfied about his call to bring in Monica Henry, Ziva was aggravated and overly concerned. They had hit another roadblock in trying to get answers. Just as Ziva had said, Mrs. Henry had shutdown the moment she was escorted into an NCIS interrogation room. McGee had pressed as much as he could but got no where, as did Bishop. Now they were no closer to finding out how long the abuse had been happening than they were earlier.

This was the root of Ziva's concern, that someone she considered a friend was trying to hide the fact that she desperately needed help. She had known Monica since both their sons had started playing basketball together in a community league when the boys were 10 years old. Back when Mrs. Henry was still going by her former name of Monica Benson. Her first husband had been in the army and killed in action by an IED while on deployment. They had been together for 15 years, and married for 12 of those years. The loss had devastated her and Tyler for a long time, but eventually it seemed that they had healed. It was shortly after that that Monica had met Jackson Henry. Within 3 months of being together, they had gotten engaged. By 6 months in, they were married. Now 3 years later, it seemed to Ziva that maybe Monica never actually truly healed from the loss of her first husband and loneliness is what drove her into Jackson's arms.

Even more so, Ziva was starting to understand that that fear of loneliness, mixed with general fear itself, is why Monica was opting to stay in an abusive relationship. She wanted to help her friend now more than ever, but she didn't know how. Not when Tony had done the thing she advised against and caused Mrs. Henry to shutdown. _This_ was the reason Ziva was aggravated when she entered Tony's office.

"Your big plan has gone to crap, DiNozzo! Do you realize we might have lost the key to putting away Henry because of what you did", she asked as she paced the floor.

For some reason, Tony found it amusing and joked, "Apparently my plans to get out of here and have a repeat of last night's lovefest have gone to crap too, since you seem to be mad at me."

"Of course I am mad at you!" Ziva stopped pacing then turned to him and served a deadly glare. "You think this is funny but it is not!"

"Eh", he shrugged, "Maybe it is a little."

"No it is not!" Her jaw clenched as she tried to keep hersełf from screaming at him for seeming so careless. "Need I remind you that, a few hours ago, it was _you_ who wanted Monica to talk. Now she has gone completely silent and we are up a creek without a boat!"

"A _paddle",_ he corrected, still amused.

"What?" Ziva's face contorted in confusion.

Tony shook his head and chuckled, "You said we were 'up a creek without a boat'. The saying is 'up a creek without a paddle'. It still amazes me how you mess up American idioms after all these years."

She rolled her eyes as she put her hands on hips, "Would it not be better to have a boat in a creek, instead of just a paddle. What is one to do with a paddle if they do not even have a boat?"

"Zi, it's already implied that you have the boat when you say the saying. What's lacking is the paddle to get you to move the boat forward." He chuckled again as he reminded her, "Weren't you just yelling at me about Monica Henry? The creek idiom doesn't seem important to understand right now."

"Right, fine. As I was saying, Monica is not talking at all and ..."

"That's a good thing", he interrupted.

"How? How is that a good thing? We need her to talk so we can build a solid case against Jackson."

"It's good because it proves she's hiding the fact that she's been a negligent mother."

" _Or_ , it only proves that she's terrified to speak against her husband and thinks she's still in danger."

"Tomato, tomahto!" Tony shrugged. "You're theory still means that she's hiding something, Zi. All we need to do is let her stew for a little longer. She'll talk soon. And when she does, you'll see that I'm right about the negligence."

Ziva let out an exasperated sigh, "Why are you confident that she is guilty as well?"

"Listen", he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as his forehead rested on hers, "I need you to back me up on this babe. There's something off about this thing ... I can feel it in my gut."

"Are you sure it is not just gas", Ziva finally joked then snickered.

Tony chuckled, "Very funny. I'm serious though Zi. I need your support on this. Just trust me, okay?"

She nodded slightly as she leaned up and pecked his lips. "Okay. I trust you. I do not want you to be right about a friend, but I will follow your lead on this."

"Thank you." He went to kiss her but was interrupted by his work cell alerting him of a text. "Hold on a sec, hopefully this is McGee saying we have some progress."

The champion's grin he wore on his face after reading the text told Ziva that his hope had just come to fruition. "Has Monica decided to talk now", she asked.

Tony nodded, "Yup! _But_ , only to you. Looks like you're up, Agent DiNozzo!" There was a conflicted look that quickly flickered in her eyes. He hugged her then kissed her forehead before stepping back to look in her eyes, "Babe, I know this is going to be hard, but please ... I need you to do this. 'Be objective', remember?"

"Alright", she sighed, "Let us get some answers."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

Tali wandered into the living room at 3AM after waking up to find Hunter not in bed. She was surprised to see him sitting on the floor meticulously cleaning two of his weapons the were disassembled and laid out on top of the coffee table.

"Honey, what's wrong", she asked in a hushed tone.

It seemed as if Hunter hadn't heard her. Instead of answering the question, or even acknowledging her presence in the room, he continued to focus on a spot on the grip of his sig. A spot that, from Tali's view, looked to have been completely clean a long time ago. ' _This isn't good.'_ She cautiously sat beside him and placed her hand on his thigh.

Hunter flinched at the contact as his head snapped up to looked at her. He blinked as if coming out of a daze then spoke after a few moments of silence, "Why are you awake?"

"I could ask you the same question", Tali retorted with her brow raised. "Talk to me, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong", he chuckled nervously.

"You don't clean your weapons like this, and at this hour, unless something is wrong." She spoke matter-of-factly, "There are very few reasons as to why you zone out like this while doing maintenance. Either you're scared, anxious, or extremely mad. Judging by the way you just flinched, and the look on your face, I'm going to rule out you being mad. So, scared or anxious, which one is it?"

"Is there really a difference", he asked in a defeated tone as he lowered his head and started fidgeting with his hands.

"Technically, yes, but you know that already." Tali placed her hand gently under his chin and raised it so that he would keep eye contact with her. "Hunter", she continued with her voice not hiding her concern, "What's going on, honey?"

Her pleading eyes were too much for him to hold back what he felt. As if someone had flipped a switch, suddenly tears started streaming down his face. It was an unusual reaction, but it was a necessary one all the same. "My village is gone. My people almost completely wiped out", he explained through tears. "I've been reliving it all night, since I checked ... I checked the report ... the guy, he is not who he claims to be."

"Oh God, honey." Although Tali was taken off guard by the sudden display of this side of her fiancé, she recovered in an instant and held the weeping man in her arms. Seeing Hunter emotionally breakdown like this was something that she had only witnessed a few times in their 4 years of being together. And each time, the emotional breakdown always surrounded his homeland. She wasn't sure of what else to do but to continue to hold him and try to encourage him to talk through it. "Talk to me", she spoke softly, "Who is this guy you're talking about? And what report brought your mind back to the war?"

Hunter tensed for a moment as Henry's face flashed in his head again. He remained silent for a few minutes as Tali rubbed his back to soothe him. When he felt he was composed enough, he pulled away from her embrace slightly and answered, "The report about the guy who attacked III."

"You looked into it already?" Tali's brow furrowed as she tried to think about how her brother's fight could have made Hunter break like this. "Honey, I don't understand", she spoke honestly, "how are the two related?"

"That man that attacked your brother is Tsotsi."

"That's Zulu, right? Tsosti", she tried pronounce the word just as he had done but it didn't sound as menacing coming from her lips. Tali knew, though, that it must have been bad by his tone and expression when he said it. "I don't think you've taught me that word yet. What does it mean?"

Hunter sighed, "It can be loosely translated as 'rogue agent'. Basically, a high level thug or gangster that brings terror."

Tali nodded her understanding, "Okay, and how do you know that Jackson Henry is tsosi?"

"Remember when I told you how the Tribe had always alluded capture when I was tracking them down with SASS before I came to NCIS? About the way the group was set up?

"Vaguely. The main part I remember is that your father was ...", Tali paused when she saw the look of hatred in his eyes at the use of the word 'father'. Hunter still hadn't forgiven that man for becoming a terrorist and having the both of them tortured. Hell, she hadn't forgiven him either, but she didn't exactly harbor the same hate as Hunter did. She mentally kicked herself for using the term she knew could be a trigger for him then cleared her throat, "Sorry, I remember that the former director of SASS was secretly the mastermind behind the Tribe and was feeding them information on how to avoid capture."

"Okay, the part you're forgetting is that the Tribe was made up of both African rebels and American contract killers to carry out attacks in South Africa and DC. The Tribe cell that was in DC was taken down by your parents, but the cells in South Africa only went underground. They are still active."

"I'm still not following what any of this has to do with Jackson Henry."

"In SASS, because the search for the Tribe was a classified op, whenever we needed to speak in public about it we would say 'tsotsi' instead, since it is a common slang term and no one would think we were talking about an actual terrorist group."

Suddenly it clicked in Tali's head, "Are you insinuating that a naval officer is part of a terrorist organization?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm blatantly stating the facts. Henry is one of the American contract killers that works for the Tribe. I had a run-in with him when I was still at SASS. He's one of the men that stormed the village and killed innocent people .. _my people!"_

* * *

 **.**

* * *

Finally home, Tony and Ziva both reluctantly walked into Anthony's room. After Ziva had talked to Monica Henry, she was completely floored about how Tony had been right. The mother was just as guilty as the step-father in regards to the abuse. What shook Ziva even more was that, in the 6 years that she had known the woman, she never struck her as someone who 'fit the profile'. Still, the truth was out and know she and Tony had to tell their son.

"Hello my little lamb", Ziva said quietly as Anthony removed his headphones.

The teenager looked at his parents with a blank expression. "What's the issue? You only call me that now when something bad happens."

"We have some news about the case buddy", Tony sighed while taking a seat on the arm chair in the corner of the room.

Ziva sat next to Anthony on his bed, "Sweetheart, there is no easy way to tell you this, but we had to arrest Monica Henry this evening and handed Tyler over to child protective services."

"You put my best friend in foster care", Anthony spoke in disbelief. " _And_ threw his mom in jail?"

"We gave Tyler the option to come and stay with us", Tony explained, "But he chose to go with the counselor from CPS. We didn't really have a choice."

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?!" Anthony's voice elevated slightly, anger now mixed with his confusion and disbelief.

"III, his mother was in on the abuse too. She's been ..."

"Pause", Anthony interrupted, "how do you even know Ty's mom did anything? I mean, what mom would abuse their kid?! That's like, not possible! Mom's don't do that! She's a victim!"

Ziva shook her head as she rubbed Anthony's arm, "I believed the same thing, but I am the one who spoke to her today. Unfortunately, she is _not_ a victim but a willing participant to the abuse of Tyler. I know it is hard to accept but ..."

"Ya think!" Again, Anthony interrupted sarcastically. Just the minor bit of information, without full details, was making him angrier by the second. "You guys totally broke up Ty's family! And now he's _never_ going to talk to me again! Why would you do that?!"

"Listen III, that family has been broken for a long time. We didn't do anything except what we needed to do to ensure Tyler's safety. Me and ima, our job is to catch the bad guys, remember?"

Anthony rolled his eyes as he huffed, "Don't talk to me like I'm still a little kid. I know what your job is and I respect it. I just don't like when your job comes home and messes with my personal life."

"We would prefer our job did not affect you so much, but some things are unavoidable. I am sorry that we could not go a different route. It is the only ..." Ziva was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. She took it from her pocket and saw it was the elder DiNozzo child. "It is Tali, we have been playing phone tag since last night. Let me take this, quickly."

Tony and Anthony nodded and sat patiently while Ziva answered, "Hello motek, how are — Wait, Talileh, slow down! — Breathe, breathe ... there you go. That's it. Now speak. — The Tribe as in the terrorist group? — And Hunter is sure about this?"

When he heard her ask the question, Tony stood and looked at Ziva with an confused expression. He mouthed to her, 'What's happening?'

Ziva put her finger up to tell him to hold on. "Tali, I have abba here, I'm putting you on speaker so he can hear what you just told me." Putting the phone on speaker, she told Tali to start from the beginning.

In the next moment, they all heard the concern in Tali's voice as she explained what was presently happening. _"I asked Hunter to check the report about Jackson Henry for me after III called to tell me about the fight. He didn't do it right away, but eventually he did. When he saw the mugshot in the file, he started reliving the war in his head. Needlessly to say, Hunter realized that he knows Jackson Henry. But he doesn't know him as a naval officer, he knows him as an American contract killer that was recruited by the Tribe. Hunter called one of his contacts at SASS to send the file they have on the Tribe and, sure enough, there are photos of that man in this file. The guy is wanted for murder and major war crimes in South Africa. As soon as I saw the photos, I called you."_

Neither of them could believe what they had just heard. The mention of the Tribe made them have an overwhelming feeling that the past was about to rear its ugly head. What should have been a simple case, had just turned into something much more complicated.

"Where's Spy Boy now", Tony asked her.

 _"I'm right here, Sir"_ , Hunter spoke immediately, revealing that Tali had also had her phone on speaker.

"Are you 100% sure that the man in SASS's file can be positively identified as Jackson Henry?"

 _"Yes, Sir, 100% sure. His name in the file is an alias, but it's him. Even without the file, I could positively ID him."_

Tony trusted his confidence, but he still wanted to be completely sure his next decision would be the right one. He needed to ask again, "Are you sure Hunter?"

 _"Sir,_ y _ou don't forget the face of the man who blew up your childhood home and killed almost everyone you've ever loved",_ he responded somberly.

"This could mean there is still..."

 _"An active Tribe cell in DC",_ Hunter finished Ziva's statement. _"I'm afraid you're right. And I'm afraid that taking a major player like Henry off the streets could set something off. His house needs to be searched to see if there is anything that could definitely answer whether or not there truly is an active cell and if they have anything planned."_

Tony was already one step ahead, "Yeah, I just text McGee and relayed the info to him. We'll open a formal investigation on Monday and get a warrant to search the house. Tali, you still there?"

 _"Yes, abba?"_

"When do your rehearsals for the show start in DC?"

 _"In three weeks, why?"_

"Because Hunter is going to have to wait three weeks before he can see his fiancé again", Tony explained as he sent an email from his phone. They all heard Hunter's phone notification go off when Tony continued, "Spy Boy, that's an email with your flight confirmation and itinerary. You're coming to DC a little earlier than expected to lead the further investigation of Henry. I'll have your office covered by the assistant director, so don't worry about anything. Just make sure you keep that SASS file saved for when you get here. Plane leaves in two and a half hours, don't miss it."

 _"Yes, Sir. Copy that."_

"Tali, are you alright with this", Tony asked as an afterthought.

 _"Yes. I kind of figured, given the situation, you'd want Hunter there anyway",_ Tali informed. _"I just want you guys to be safe moving forward, okay? Take care of Hunter and I'll be fine here. Now let me go help him with his packing. I'll call you guys back after his plane takes off. Love you!"_

The call ended and the room got eerily quiet. Ziva and Tony silently spoke to each other through their eyes about what they knew could possibly come next. After a few minutes of feeling the tension build, the one person who hadn't said anything since the call started finally broke the silence and spoke.

"Sooo", Anthony scratched his head as he chuckled, "Shit just got _really_ real, huh?"

* * *

 **Next chapter, we will backtrack a little to know exactly what was said during Ziva's questioning of Monica Henry.**

 **Also, Hunter arrives in DC and more truth is revealed.** **Oh, and Tali plans a surprise ... that's all I'm saying.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! As always, let me know your thoughts!**

 **.**

 **Later!**

 **\- Chide**


	4. Records & Plans

**A|N: I know it has been a while. Please excuse my absence. This story was supposed to follow the timeline of the holidays, however something major happened personally that totally turned my world upside down. Soon after I posted the last chapter, I received a call from the mother of a young man that I have been mentoring in writing and music for the last two years. She informed me that he had been killed in an altercation while trying to protect his younger siblings. Needless to say, I was completely crushed by the news. This young man was 17 and the little brother I never had but always wanted. His death was a major blow and killed my desire to write. Apart from my assignments to complete my masters, I have stayed away from my passion for writing and music that bonded me with Hamzah.**

 **A few days ago, I had a long talk with my fiancé ... okay more like screaming match ... But in the end, I let out the pain I have been carrying since receiving that dreadful call and cried more than I think I ever have in my life. My fiancé reminded me that I still needed to keep pursuing what I love— my writing. If not for anything else, than for Hamzah and the brief legacy he left on this earth. With that being said, I am continuing onward with this story and dedicating part of it to a young man who undoubtedly brightened my life. So, this is for you Hamzah— I pray Allah has guided your spirit home brother. You are eternally my hero and I will forevermore live to make _both_ our dreams come true. Inshallah.**

 **.**

* * *

 **"Undercover Show"**

 **Chapter IV - Records & Plans**

* * *

By Monday afternoon, it was clear to everyone on the Navy Yard that the former 'Team Gibbs' had assembled together once again for something big. It wasn't known as to what that something was, but it was evident that it was major considering the fact that Tony had temporarily moved two of McGee's team members to another MCRT and replaced them with himself and Ziva. Not to mention, Hunter was back to work within the DC office and was leading the team. It also hadn't gone unnoticed by every agent in the building that one of the more private and secure conference room's had been turned into a mini-squad room sometime early that morning, and it was now being occupied by the team. The buzz around the yard was that they were either planning a very covert op, or that they were already working a highly classified case ... little did everyone know, both versions of the buzz was correct.

Tony, Ziva, McGee, Bishop, and Hunter had started their work day before the sun came up. After cashing in on a favor owed to him, McGee had gotten a warrant Sunday evening to execute a full search on the Henry's property the following day. Once Tony was made aware, the rest of the team agreed to start the day at 4AM so they could search the property thoroughly, and bring back any evidence that needed processing before Abby got too overloaded with other cases.

The search had proven useful and was very telling as to the people Jackson and Monica Henry actually were. A hidden room, found in the basement, seemed to be a well preserved time capsule. It was jarring for all of them, finding old evidence that could have aided in their finding Tali and Hunter when they were kidnapped four years ago. Even more disconcerting were distinct pieces of tattered art taken from Hunter's homeland during the war. It was clear that the team had stumbled upon something they hadn't been prepared to deal with again ... proof that the Tribe was still active in Washington, DC.

Now there was the matter of sitfting through everything they had found. In their temporary squad room, McGee and Bishop were going through bank accounts and phone records while Hunter and Tony meticulously pieced together the timeline the evidence created from the start of the war up to the time the kidnapping happened. And Ziva, well she was trapped in her thoughts trying to find if she had missed something during her interview with Monica Henry ...

* * *

 _"I was told you wanted to speak with me", Ziva said as she took a seat across from Mrs. Henry inside the interrogation room._

 _"I do", Monica sighed in frustration, "I thought we'd become really good friends over the years, but this treatment makes me think otherwise." She lifted her hands to show the cuffs tightly placed around her wrists._

 _Ziva nodded as she pointed to the cuffs, "We have, and those are not my doing. I would have preferred to simply speak in a conference room, however my director feels this is the right way to go with this."_

 _"Your 'director'", she said sarcastically as she chuckled, "So Tony isn't your husband at the office? You don't get to pull rank as his wife here? I mean, seriously Ziva, how can you stand by a man that demands you treat your friend like this!"_

 _"I could flip that question and ask how you stand by a man who demands you hide the abuse he inflicts on you and your son?"_

 _Monica rolled her eyes, "You don't understand."_

 _"Then make me", Ziva pleaded. She truly wanted to believe in her friend's innocence, it was just a matter of getting her to stay on topic. "So far, you are being charged with negligence and child endangerment. Now, I do not believe that is who you are, but I cannot advocate for you being a victim if you do not explain your side of the story."_

 _"What makes you think I will go against my husband?"_

 _The question puzzled Ziva for a moment and it showed on her face. "Monica, we have a long list of charges against Jackson. He will not get out of prison for a long time. There is no need to hide in fear of his wrath. You do not need to save face anymore."_

 _"You think I'm saving face?" Monica shook her head, "You have it all wrong. Jackson is a great man and has never laid a finger on me. He's not abusive."_

 _"How do you explain Tyler's injuries from this morning, and my son's bruised jaw?"_

 _"Ah ha! That's what this is about? You're precious baby boy who can do no wrong, right? Because the DiNozzo's are the epitome of class and integrity!" Monica laughed then turned serious, "You're son got that bruise jaw because he tried to blindside my husband and attack him while he was disciplining Tyler."_

 _"Discipline? Is that what nearly choking a 16 year old boy to death is to you?" Ziva was appalled as she opened a folder she had brought in with her that held police reports, "From both accounts, Anthony and Tyler say that Jackson was heavily intoxicated and started beating up Tyler for no apparent reason. Anthony was trying to save Tyler when Jackson began strangling him. Obviously we have separate views on what constitutes as discipline, because to me that sounds like abuse."_

 _Monica scoffed, "You can't believe everything you read. Teenagers lie, that's why Tyler is always getting punished. Maybe you should try getting your husband to discipline that little brat of yours and maybe you'd get the truth too."_

 _It took everything in Ziva not to reach across the table and slap Mrs. Henry. She took a few moments to breathe before she continued, "How long has Tyler been being abused by Jackson?"_

 _"He's been getting disciplined since a year after I married Jackson", she admitted without pause. "It's a shame though, had I allowed my husband to do it earlier in our relationship, Tyler might be a little tougher instead of still acting like a little bitch and running to you people. I have tried to make him toughen up myself, but it's different when a man can step in and cause more pain."_

 _"Are you ...", Ziva stopped to gather her thoughts, "Are you saying that before Jackson, you were abusing your son?"_

 _"Abuse, discipline", Monica shrugged, "call it what you want, but yes I was."_

 _"And you are proud of that?"_

 _She nodded, "Oh, very proud. I'd be even more proud if the boy actually acted like a man, instead of a coward. My only real regret as a mother is that Tyler isn't more like Jackson. Sure, the Navy makes him follow certain orders, but he really is his own man and does what he wants to make our world better. Without men like him, we would still be fighting another man's war. My husband, unlike yours, isn't controlled by this government. He answers to a higher power and follows his calling. If Tyler would answer that same call, he wouldn't need to be punished. Unfortunately, Tyler is still weak so he gets exactly what he deserves."_

* * *

Ziva snapped herself out of the trance she was in and started ruffling through papers the team had laid out on a table. Her sudden movement causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at her. After a few seconds of searching, she turned to them while holding up a report.

"He's the recruiter", she practically yelled. "Jackson Henry is the recruiter for the Tribe cell in DC!"

Tony looked at her intrigued as he took the report from her hand. "What brought on this epiphany?"

"Monica Henry, she said her husband 'follows his calling' and that Tyler would not have to be punished if he 'would answer the same call'. The abuse has been to try to force Tyler into becoming a Tribe member", Ziva explained as she pointed to the report, "That's the follow-up from the FBI after we arrested all the DC members four years ago and turned the case over. Most of the recruits were minors who admitted to becoming members because the recruiter, who remained nameless, used brute force and beat them until they believed it was their calling to carry out Mohammed Amadi's plan."

"They described the recruiter as a tall white man, short brown hair and brown eyes with a southern accent, but no other details were given", Bishop chimed in as she leaned over Tony's shoulder to skim over the report. "That fits Henry's profile to the tee, so why wasn't he ever looked at?"

"Because the FBI would've never looked into a Naval Officer who was supposed to be stationed in the middle of the Pacific at the same time they were looking for the mystery recruiter of a terrorist group", Tony answered. "Not to mention, the description was too general. Every other guy in the world fits that profile. It would be like trying to find the needle in a haystack, which the FBI didn't have that man hours for. Says it right here in their report."

"So how do we prove Henry is the recruiter", McGee asked, "Like you said, Henry was supposed to be stationed in the middle of the Pacific. His military record says he was on three back to back tours at sea and did a stint in Hawaii then he was stationed here at District Command."

"At the time he was stationed here is when he met his wife, that was almost a year _after_ we shutdown the DC cell", Bishop added as she took the report from Tony and sat on the floor to read further. "He has an airtight alibi."

"There has to be a leak somewhere", Hunter finally spoke then sat next to Bishop to study the report with her. "We just need to find it."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

While the team was trying to find more answers, Tali was trying to find the right words to say to her dance instructor. A four hour rehearsal was finally coming to an end and she really needed to make her request.

"Great job everyone! Merci for a lovely rehearsal! We will resume on Wednesday. Now please remember we have added another element for the American shows, so our next rehearsal will focus on new choreography. I need you all to be prompt and ready to work hard. Get plenty of rest and have a wonderful day off tomorrow!"

 _'This is it Tal, it's now or never.'_ Tali took a deep breath as she stood behind the instructor and tapped her shoulder, "Um, Claudette?"

The woman spun on her heals, "Oh, yes Tali, I'm actually glad you stayed for a moment. I have incorporated a solo piece into the new element for our show. Seeing as though the performances will take place in your hometown, I thought it would be fabulous if _you_ were our soloist, what do you think?" Claudette looked at her enthusiastically, waiting for an immediate answer.

Tali, on the other hand, was completely taken by surprise and started to stutter, "A solo? I ... um ... wow ... this is ... it's unexpected ... I don't know ...".

"Just say 'oui'", Claudette interrupted as she pouted and put on a puppy dog face.

"Um, okay, yes", she answered with more than a little uncertainty.

"Yes! This is going to be très magnifique!" Claudette clapped her hands and gave a little leap for joy. "Oh, you have no idea how much better this will make the show! I hope you haven't made plans with your fiancé tomorrow, because I need you here to learn your part before rehearsal on Wednesday."

"Actually he's out of town, that's why I needed to speak with you", Tali sighed then cleared her throat, "I need to leave for the States early and would have to miss the next few weeks of rehearsal."

The other woman titled her head as her brow furrowed. "I don't understand, you want to leave and miss the most important rehearsals before we go to the theater in America?"

"I know this is the worst time to make this kind of request", Tali said hastily, "But I have some family stuff I need to take care of back home and ..."

"If I agree to excuse you from the last two weeks of rehearsal here, you have to agree to privately rehearse with me for the remainder of this week as well as stay late during our regular schedule."

"Deal. Every day this week, I'm totally fine with that."

"Honestly, I was partly joking and was not expecting you to agree so easily. It would be a very rigorous schedule. Not to mention taxing on your body." Claudette looked with concern, "Has something bad happened? Is that why you need to go so soon? If so, I trust your ability to learn your solo and the new choreography if I simply record them and send it to you. I would hate to keep you from your family if it is an emergency."

Tali was surprised yet again. The expression not lost on her face as she asked, "Really?"

"Oui, really. Just help me to understand what is happening and I will figure out how to make this work so you can be on your way to your family."

"Technically, I can't really speak on the details. Considering my fiancé and my parents' jobs, I'm not actually allowed to say much, but something happened to my little brother and it ended up bringing up this whole big case."

Claudette nodded in understanding, "Right, as I recall they are agents at an American government agency. I hope your brother is fine, as well as the rest of your family."

"Thank you", Tali spoke sincerely, "I'm not sure how bad things are yet, which is why I need to be there. I swear, it won't take my focus from the show. I'd just feel more at ease being there than I do being here right now. I was going to try to wait it out until the company travels together, but I've been an emotional wreck since Hunter flew to DC the other morning."

"Okay", Claudette stated simply as she shrugged.

"Okay?"

"Okay", she nodded, "You may go."

"But?" Tali instinctively heard it coming by the woman's tone.

"But, I will need you to sacrifice one more evening and morning being here in Paris. I can begin teaching you your solo choreography now and in the morning we can also rehearse. By tomorrow afternoon you can be on the plane to the States."

Tali couldn't help the cheesy grin on her face, "Oh God thank you so much! I can live with that!"

Claudette walked over to the sound system in the corner of the room and pressed the button to begin the music. "Then let us begin."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

"... and then I found prints other then Henry's on that book. They belong to this guy, Jacob Townson. It's freaky, he looks just like Jackson Henry. Almost like they could be twins. That's so weird, right? I mean, I know everyone has a doppelgänger but there's usually some type of differences. It's like they we born identical twins and then separated at birth!"

The team stood in Abby's lab quietly as she continued to ramble on about the new developments she found with the evidence they had provided her earlier. Hunter had a theory that Jackson Henry may have had someone take his place on the ship while he was actually in South Africa raining terror. Now, it seemed, his theory was right.

"Where is this guy now Abs", Hunter asked while his eyes locked on the pictures Abby had on the plasma screen. It was true, there really was no difference between the two faces.

"That's the problem I called you guys down for. I can't actually find anything on him except an old address that no longer exists. The houses that used to be on that block were all brought out by the city a few years ago and knocked down to make those new high rise condos", Abby explained further. "There's no electronic trace of him before or after that. The old house belonged to his uncle and was left to him in a will after the man passed."

"How did you get a hit on his prints with no electronic trace?"

"He was arrested once for a DUI, spent a couple months in county for it then was released. And before you ask, he wasn't given probation after release. It's like he never existed, then he did exist, and now he doesn't exist again. All there is is an arrest record and the power of attorney paperwork signing over that house."

Ziva sighed, "We need to get Henry back in here then to find out about this guy."

"I doubt if he'll talk", McGee stated.

"Then we go talk to someone who likes talking about his accomplishments", Hunter chimed in as he checked his watch for the time.

"And that would be?"

Hunter cleared his throat before he responded, "Mohammed Amadi. I can visit him in the morning and question him." The moment he made the suggestion to see his estranged father in prison, a thick tension fell in the room. None of them were expecting him to volunteer himself for such a task. Especially since they all knew Hunter still hid his real feelings towards the man. He had, in some ways, yet to fully move-on from the betrayal.

"Spy Boy, you sure you want to do that", Tony asked in a low voice, not hiding his concern and desire to protect his youngest agent from doing something that would open old wounds. "McGee and I can go, son. You don't have to be the one to ..."

"I want to do it", Hunter interjected, "I _need_ to do ... We all thought this nonsense with the Tribe was finally over and now it's coming back to haunt us. I want to shut this down as quickly as possible. The only way to do that is to talk to the man who created the terrorist group in the first place. You told me this was my case, so let me do this my way, Sir."

Reluctantly, Tony nodded his head, "Okay. This is all you, Spy Boy, but I'm going with you to Gitmo in the morning. I can't let you travel alone. Not there. Not to see him. That's the only thing you don't have control over in this case."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'll go make a few calls to get you guys on a military flight out in the morning", McGee chimed in.

"And I'll leave out now to question Henry's commanding officer. Maybe he can shed some light on what Henry was doing during his tours at sea and in Hawaii. It's possible there was some leave time we overlooked in his service records", Bishop added as she and McGee walked out the lab.

Just then, Abby looked back to say something but was interrupted by Tony's secretary coming in, "Excuse me Director, but you weren't answering my texts or calls and SecNav has been in your office for 5 minutes."

"Shit, I forgot she was coming. Chelsea, tell her I'll be with her in just a few minutes. Let her know I'm getting an update on the case she's come to hear about and will be coming in with the lead agent."

"Yes, right away, Sir."

Tony turned to Ziva and Abby, "You two mind grabbing a late lunch for everyone then meeting us back in the conference room?"

"It is fine", Ziva nodded, "Just go. You know SecNav is very impatient. We will see you in 45 minutes, yes?"

"Sounds good." Tony gave her a quick peck on the lips then left with Hunter following close behind.

Abby smiled as Ziva watched the men leave then looked towards her, "Well, what's for lunch? I'm starving!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Tony and Hunter entered the director's office to find the SecNav sitting at Tony's desk.

"Director DiNozzo, I absolutely loath waiting. You of all people should know that I expect my time not to be wasted, especially this late in the work day." SecNav turned her attention to Hunter, "Agent Amadi, I understand you've found a link between the Navy Officer who assaulted young Mr. DiNozzo and a formerly active terrorist cell?"

"Not formerly. The Tribe is _currently_ active", Hunter corrected, "We have found evidence that proves Jackson Henry is the recruiter for the organization and was in South Africa at the time of the war carrying out orders to perform the attacks that led to our nations coming together as allies. While his service record stated he was stationed on a vessel in the Pacific, I believe Henry hired a man named Jacob Townson to take his place aboard the ship so he could remain free to work with the Tribe."

"Those are serious accusations Agent. Are you certain you can back them?"

"I can— _after_ I speak with Muhammad Amadi at Gitmo tomorrow morning. There is no way Henry could afford to forge the documentation and pay Townson. Muhammad would have had to known and funded it, just like he funded the escape and plastic surgery makeover of Benjamin when he was setting the attacks here in DC."

SecNav stared between the two men before her as she processed the information. After a moment, she addressed them both, "This case is _extremely_ personal for the both of you. I should turn it over to another team or, even better, the FBI." She waved her hand to halt the protests that were about to come from both Hunter and Tony, " _However_ , given your knowledge of past events and involvement in them, I believe your expertise is needed to shutdown this organization once and for all. Not just in DC but anywhere else they might lurk."

"Ma'am, are you saying ..."

"Yes, Director DiNozzo, I am saying that you have the full use of every resource NCIS can provide to stop these people. That includes travel expenses to South Africa and anywhere else you can trace them. I want them gone before we have another war on our hands, understood?" Both men nodded in response. "Good. I will contact the president and bring him up to speed on this covert op. Choose wisely who you bring in on this and keep it under wraps." SecNav stood to leave, "And gentlemen, _do not_ make me regret putting my faith in you to resolve this issue."


End file.
